


This Boy's Mine

by greeny1710



Series: The Chaotic Trio verse [24]
Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Famous, Anniversary, Banter, Chaotic Trio Family are mentioned but not featured heavily, Dan and Max being Dan and Max, Domestic Fluff, Genuinely just pure happiness, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, attempts at romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-26
Updated: 2020-12-26
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:34:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,902
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28340073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greeny1710/pseuds/greeny1710
Summary: The first anniversary in their new apartment was always going to be their most treasured
Relationships: Daniel Ricciardo/Max Verstappen
Series: The Chaotic Trio verse [24]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1594924
Comments: 27
Kudos: 102





	This Boy's Mine

**Author's Note:**

> I meant to post this yesterday but time got away from me because I got animal crossing and it's literally all I care about now
> 
> also, this is going to be my last post of 2020 I believe. I'm going to be taking a small break from writing because I am ✨exhausted✨ and need chance to just give my brain to rest because the creative juices are just Not Flowing and I've not been _entirely happy_ with a lot of things I've been writing lately my luvs. Also I'm very busy with uni (and animal crossing) and I need to retrain myself to focus on school work a bit more rather than only working on fic stuff. 
> 
> so yeah, thank u for a great 2020 writing year and I hope you all have a good end of the year and start of 2021. I'll see you soon luvs xxx

**Tuesday 4th October 2022**

Tuesday’s at uni were, for some reason, the fucking worst. 

Max only had one class on Tuesday’s from 12-2 and if the class had been interesting, Max wouldn’t have minded but it was a fucking dull and he hated it. 

_And_ it was Max’s anniversary today and he’d really rather have just stayed curled up in Daniel’s arms all day, cuddling and making out and having lots of fun sex because that’s what you do when you’ve been dating your boyfriend for three years and finally have your own apartment together. 

They’d moved in to their own place exactly thirty-two days ago and there was still cardboard boxes and tubs that needed to be finished unpacking, but with uni starting back up and Daniel going into his final year of studies, whilst working in a local school, and Max was busy studying, they’d not exactly gotten around to finishing unpacking yet. They’d done most of it but there was still times early in the morning when Max would be woken up by his boyfriend asking where a certain item of clothing he needed for his job was or his football kit even though he’d used it _numerous fucking times_.

Max loved his boyfriend, he really did.

But he also really just wanted to bash Daniel’s fucking face in sometimes.

“Dan?” Max called out as he unlocked the front door, throwing his backpack down so that he could take his jacket off and toeing his trainers off, only to turn around and yelp out a “Jesus fucking Christ!” at what he saw.

He was met with a wall of boxes, meaning that the only rooms Max could access where his and Daniel’s bedroom and en-suite, and one of the spare bedroom’s they’d converted into a make-shift office/study, blocking off his entrance to the kitchen, living room and other spare bedroom and bathroom.

“Daniel what the fuck is this?!” Max called out, laughing as he walked closer and looked at what Daniel had done. 

He’d created a barricade and Max laughed at the insanity of his boyfriend.

Max may want to bash his head in, but Daniel was also the best fucking boyfriend in the world and Max still couldn’t believe he was dating this fucker.

A piece of paper had been taped to a box and Max smiled as he took it off carefully. He’d definitely be keeping this letter, just like he’d kept all of Daniel’s other anniversary letters. 

Since their first anniversary, Daniel had written Max a short letter telling him all the reasons he loved him and his favourite few memories from over the last year with him.

It was a dumb little thing that Daniel did but Max loved it, and whilst Max had been able to hear his boyfriend on the other side of the barricade, he simply shook his head, picked up his backpack and headed into the bedroom. Settling down on the bed, Max curled up on Daniel’s side of the bed with Daniel’s pillow bunched up in his lap for comfort and opened the letter.

_Hey Maxy-Moo,_

_It’s that time of the year again! It’s the second most amazing date in the world (obvs my birthday is #1), and I can’t believe we’ve made it three rotations around the sun now together. You’re still hotter than the sun and brighter than the sun and I love you so fucking much sexy butt._

_In typical ‘I need to worship you’ fashion, I have three things I’d love to share that we’ve got to do together in the last year:_

_1\. YOU MOVED TO UNI!!!!! I’m still so fucking proud of you for that and I know your first year was a bit rough but you got there in the end and you smashed your exams (yes I am crying over it again, that’s why the pen is running bc tears are running from my eyes, I’m just so proud of you) and you are such a phenomenal little researcher already and I seriously can’t believe how fucking amazing you and your brain are.  
2\. THE SKIRT AND DRESS AND YOU FEELING CONFIDENT IN YOUR BODY!!!!! You know how much I love the way you look and how much I love you in literally everything you wear, but seeing how happy you was dressed as my little cheerleader in that beautiful black skirt and all the lingerie, you just looked so fucking happy and I still can’t believe how fucking beautiful you look, like I knew you’d look like a gift from the gods but it was MAGICAL and I love you so much  
3\. Moving in with you. I could yell so much about this but it’s been the most amazing month living with you and being in a place that is ours. Everything about this apartment and the life we’re creating together fills me with so much love and warmth and I can’t believe this is real. We have a place together, Max. I get to wake up beside you every single day for the rest of my life and I love you so much. I can’t wait to see where we go from here. _

_I’m making dinner that’s why I’ve barricaded you out, I PROMISE I KNOW WHAT IM DOING (Mum is on the phone with me as I do it and I’ve got headphones in and will be speaking Italian so YOU CAN’T FIND OUT WHAT IM MAKING YOU SNEAKY BRAT). There’s stuff for you to have a bath in the bathroom, and there’s some clothes hanging up for you in the wardrobe for what I want you to wear. Please just go with it. I promise I have good plans in mind._

_Pamper yourself baby, you deserve it._

_I can’t wait to see you_

_All my love,_

_Forever and always,_

_Your Daniel x_

Max had tears in his eyes as he read Daniel’s letter, giggling softly when he saw the bits where the pen had ran due to Daniel crying onto the paper which he’d done every single time since he’d started writing Max these letters and every single time Max cried too.

Whilst he couldn’t see Daniel, Max could still yell through the apartment to him and he pushed himself up from the bed to do just that.

“Oi!” He yelled, smiling when he heard Daniel yell back “KIKIAYE!”

“I just read your letter!” Max yelled.

“And?”

“I love you too, you fuckin’ donkey!”

Daniel’s booming laughter echoed through the flat and Max felt it wrap around his heart and squeeze him tight. 

He really was the luckiest boy in the world. 

Being the middle of Autumn, the sun was still fairly bright in the sky and Max took himself back into the bedroom, sitting down on the carpeted flooring with his back to the window and allowed the warmth to seep through and soak into his skin. He could hear Daniel banging around and the sound of the vacuum cleaner going but Max simply chose to ignore it. 

The only other correspondence he had with Daniel was a text to ask what time he needed to be ready by. Daniel had told him six, meaning that Max had about three hours to kill before he could see his man and stop being isolated away from him. 

For a little while, Max sat doing some uni work and on FaceTime to Charles as he was also doing uni stuff and needed someone to give him the motivation to actually do it and not get easily distracted. Max was conducting a literature search on organised criminal behaviour whilst Charles was sewing a children’s dress together, and whilst the twins really couldn’t be more dissimilar in the moment of their studies, the same familiar banter plagued their conversation as they discussed who was doing better at their current Call of Duty competition that had been going on since they were about ten years old. 

“So, lover boy buy you anything nice for your anniversary?” Charles asked and Max shook his head as he typed away.

“Not as far as I’m aware, we decided we wasn’t doing anything big for our anniversary, because of going Italy over the new year instead and all the money we’re spending on the apartment at the minute. He is cooking tonight though,” Max explained, half paying attention to Charles and half reading about the effects of organised criminal gangs on the familial bond using a case study from the early 00’s.

The more Max read of it, the more he started to realise that certain parts sounded extremely familiar. 

“Hey Charles, I think I’m reading a literature analysis on us...” he laughed, scrubbing his hands over his eyes before copying the link and texting it to Charles, continuing to read through it. “It’s talking about organised criminal behaviour and bad parenting. They’re literally using us as the case study!”

“That’s the only time I’ll ever be in a research paper,” Charles joked, setting down his needle and tapping away at his laptop and Max watched as his twin brother opened it and started reading it. He knew Charles was a slow reader, but he was getting better slowly and when Charles got to a specific section, he let out a whoop that had Max dissolve into laughter.

Only Charles could get excited reading about himself escaping abuse. 

He truly was one of a kind.

They’d stayed together on the call for about an hour and a half with Max even watching Charles cook himself some dinner. It was nothing too advanced because this was still Charles we’re talking about and Romain was still recovering from hearing about Charles’ ‘do you really need to salt pasta water?’ question from two years ago so it was safe to say Charles wasn’t the most adventurous cook but he could make pasta with white sauce and that was good enough. 

He got points for trying, okay?

Daniel💍💙   
  
**Today** 16:04   
Have you had your bath yet?   
  
Going now!!   
  
You tryna tell me I stink Ricciardo?  
  
Always babe x   
  


When Max walked into the bathroom, warm aromas instantly hit him.

A trail of rose petals were connecting the door to the bathtub (a solid place to have sex if you were curious, Max’s thighs still felt the strain of riding Dan in there), and then curling around behind to where Daniel had set up his towel and robe on the towel warmer to keep them warm. 

It really was the little things that made you appreciate the boy you was in love with even more. 

He’d also left a bath bomb on the side that he’d sworn Max was never allowed to buy again after Daniel had spent an hour scrubbing the staining out of the tub last time.

Daniel💍💙   
  
**Today** 16:07   
I love you xxx   
  
You fucking better   
  
Always baby xxx   
  
Love you more angel x   
  
Text me when you’re settled and I’ll bring you a drink but you gotta close your eyes. You’re not ruining my surprises by peeking x   
  


Rolling his eyes, Max got the bath ready, snapping a quick photo of the water as the bath bomb erupted with bright blues and yellows, the fizzing mixing with the crackle of candle wicks that were softly burning away and crackling, smiling as he posted it on his Instagram story and tagging Daniel with a blue love heart.

Daniel had clearly set them to start burning before Max had gotten home, leaving them to warm up the room both with the heat of the flames and with the warm cinnamon and bergamot smell that seemed to describe Max’s boyfriend in a nutshell. Settling in the bath, peppermint oil from the bath bomb slowly climbing up Max’s skin and relaxing him, Max closed his eyes and took in a deep breath.

He’d only been back at university for a week and already he was _exhausted_. 

This bath and spending some time with his man was exactly what he needed.

Daniel💍💙   
  
**Today** 16:18  
I’m settled x   
  
aight close ur eyes or I’ll steal them from u   
  
You can’t steal my eyes Daniel!   
  
:(   
  


“Eyes closed!” Daniel called out, wrapping his knuckles against the bathroom door to tell Max that he was there.

“Maybe you should just blindfold me!”

“Stop being horny! I need to finish making dinner first!” 

Max laughed and closed his eyes, putting slippery fingers over his eyes and called out a confirmation that his eyes were closed.

He never even heard Daniel come in nor the sound of his glass being put down.

“Love you,” Daniel whispered, brushing a kiss across Max’s forehead before tilting his head up and pressing a light kiss to his lips. Max gasped as their lips met unexpectedly, melting into the touch and running his fingers over Daniel’s stubble across his jaw.

“Love you more,” Max whispered back, still keeping his eyes shut to follow the order.

“Be ready for six. I love you, I gotta go,” Daniel murmured, pressing a lingering kiss to Max’s lips before diving away. 

The door shut behind him with a resounding noise and Max opened his eyes to be met with a glass of red wine sitting on a little table beside the bath along with a gingerbread cookie from Max’s favourite bakery that was on the other side of the city and Daniel constantly told Max he wasn’t allowed to spend an hour and a half venturing to just to buy a 60p biscuit. 

Giggling to himself, Max took a bite of the gingerbread cookie, eyes closing in bliss and a moan escaping his lips. 

Daniel may complain that going all the way across the city just to get a very inexpensive cookie was a very significant waste of time, but he still would go all the way across the city, way past his place of work, just to go and get Max that 60p piece of gingerbread. 

_That’s_ how Max knew Daniel was the one. 

His Dad had always said to the three of them that whilst the big declarations of love where important, it was always important to remember the little things too and Daniel buying Max a bath bomb that he’d complain about scrubbing the tub clean from and spending three hours fetching Max a gingerbread cookie and lighting Max’s favourite candles purely because he wanted Max to relax showed Max that Daniel cared about the big and the little moments. 

Dating Daniel was a dream and Max was in love more and more every single day. 

The glass of red wine to wash it all down was definitely a massive plus as well. 

Daniel’s music was vaguely audible even through a cardboard box wall of isolation and two doors, and Max closed his eyes to let it wash over him. 

Instantly, he could tell what playlist Daniel was listening to. 

It was his _Songs that remind me of you💙_ playlist that was now three years old and still forever growing. 

There was a lot of cheesy songs in there, but it always made Max smile and laugh and there was nothing better than cooking in the kitchen and Daniel singing along to his music to try and make Max giggle. 

There was no need to _try_.

He just always did manage it. Daniel was the most annoying but loving person in the world and Max loved spending time with him. They’d gotten better over the years at balancing spending time together with also spending time on their own, co-existing in the same place without needing to be around each other 24/7.

Max wouldn’t be surprised if he ended up falling asleep slightly for a little while, the bliss of the warmth of the water, combined with the warmth from the towel warmer and the soft, soothing lighting from the candles helping his brain switch off from constantly over-thinking about uni and instead give him chance to just _relax_.

Daniel💍💙   
  
**Today** 17:12  
I’m getting out of the bath now, dinner still for 6?   
  
Should be unless Mum lied to me and it takes longer/less time   
  
Grace would never lie!!   
  
She told me she loves me more than she loves you   
  
Okay Grace would lie occasionally we all know she loves me more than she loves you   
  
Not hard tbh you are a cutie pie   
  
You can’t see but I’m rolling my eyes and gagging at how cringe you are   
  
We know that’s a lie you don’t ever gag when it comes to me ;)   
  
You are disgusting   
  
That’s why you love me xxx   
  


Rolling his eyes, Max put his phone down on the table that had once housed his cookie and wine and reached out for the warm towel to start drying himself off. The bright blue bathwater had indeed stained the bath slightly and Max couldn’t wait to distract Daniel with a blowjob to coerce him into not complaining about washing it clean. 

Wrapping his robe around him, Max pulled it tight so that he could stay warm and cosy. 

Of course, Daniel had even thought ahead and been sure to give Max _his_ robe rather than Max’s, knowing that Max loved the way that his aftershave lingered on the material. 

Most people loved their partner for a variety of reasons. 

Max thought the main reason he might love Daniel was because he bought the most attractive cologne and aftershave that Max had ever come into contact with. 

Max sat in the warmth of the robe for a while on the bed, before he saw that the time was getting close to 6pm and one thing that him and Daniel had always joked about was Max’s incessant need to be on time to everything, unlike Daniel who was way more relaxed about timings unless he had Max in the way telling him to get his ass moving. 

Daniel had hung up Max’s black suit trousers and blazer, a white shirt and a thin black tie. 

It didn’t escape Max’s knowledge that it was the outfit that he’d worn on his and Daniel’s first anniversary dinner date when Daniel had taken them on what was essentially a kinky weekend away. 

_Not_ that Max was allowing himself to think about that right now or he was going to have a boner and he _really_ did not have the time to deal with that right now. 

_Or_ to deal with the punishment of touching himself without Daniel’s permission. 

He would at least like to be able to walk and sit through their dinner without discomfort of Daniel spanking him before he was allowed to eat. Max loved getting spanked but he also loved being able to sit comfortably. 

After getting himself dressed and tying his tie perfectly around his neck (Daniel was forever impressed by Max’s ability to do a perfect Windsor knot on the first tie), he pulled some socks on and left pulled his phone from his pocket. 

They weren’t wearing shoes considering they were just going to be lounging around the house and honestly wearing a full on suit felt a bit ridiculous, but at the same time Max knew that he’d be getting to see Daniel in a suit and that’s all he ever wanted to be honest. 

Daniel in a suit was Max’s biggest kink. 

Just as he opened his text thread to text Daniel and ask why it was 6pm and he hadn’t been allowed out of the bedroom yet, a text instantly popped up from Daniel.

Daniel💍💙   
  
**Today** 18:00   
DON’T YOU DARE TEXT ME ASKING IF I SAW THE TIME   
  
IM ABOUT TO COME AND GET YOU   
  
I KNOW IT’S JUST TURNED 6PM JUST FUCKING WAIT TWENTY SECONDS   
  
I think this is the first time you’ve ever been on time for something wow   
  
Staying consistent with not coming early   
  
STOP DISTRACTING ME WITH HORNY COMMENTS WHEN IM TRYING TO DO SOMETHING NICE FOR YOU YOU LITTLE DEMON BASTARD   
  


Laughing softly, Max sat on the edge of the bed facing the door, slipping his phone into his inside jacket pocket and waited for his man.

“Are you ready?” Daniel called through and Max called back an affirmative. 

The door opened and Max pushed himself up to head through it. 

The lighting was turned low, giving the hallway and the rest of their apartment a very cosy feeling and Max instantly felt himself melt when he saw the rose petals leading away from the bedroom door so that Max could head in search of his boyfriend. 

“Daniel?” Max called out, “Daniel? Where are you?”

Daniel wasn’t in the hallway like Max had expected him to be, and Max has to be careful to not slip on the rose petals that line the floor as he goes. 

“Babe? Where-”

Max cuts himself off as he walks into the open place kitchen-diner-living room space that they called their home. 

“Daniel,” Max sighed, looking over to where his man was stood with his hands folded behind his back. 

He’d kept the lighting low in this room too, using Max’s love of buying candles to the advantage and used them as the main source of light in the room. The lights over the oven were the only other lights in the room (probably so that Daniel didn’t fuck up making dinner _too_ badly), with the aromas mixing beautifully. 

Daniel had a propensity for just lighting any candle in his general vicinity and there’d been numerous times that Max had come home from a late evening lecture and had to deal with the fact that Daniel thought mixing a _Summer Fruits_ , _Fresh Cotton_ and _Midnight Cove_ candles was a good idea. 

It wasn’t. 

Only this time, Daniel had kept it simple, lighting a citrus fruits one and forest one, with more plain candles dotted around the table to give them the ability to look at each other. 

Daniel’s phone was still connected to the Bluetooth speakers, his trusty _Songs that remind me of you💙_ playlist still playing as he stood with a single red rose, letting the vocals of the song playing wash over them. 

“Happy Anniversary, darling,” Daniel murmured. 

Max walked closer, taking the rose off Daniel and putting it down on the table so that he could wrap his arms around Daniel properly. 

“I love you so much,” Max whispered and pressed a kiss to Daniel’s neck just above the collar of his shirt. “And you look very, very beautiful.”

Daniel had foregone the jacket and instead was wearing a black set of trousers and bow tie, only replaced the jacket with a waistcoat instead. 

_The little bastard_

He knew Max got hard for the waistcoat. 

“As do you, my prince, you look stunning. I knew getting you in a suit was the right thing,” Daniel grinned. 

Carefully, like Max was a piece of vintage glass he was terrified to lay fingers on in case he shattered, Daniel cupped Max’s jaw in his hand and tilted his head back to kiss his lips properly. 

Max kept his arms around Daniel’s waist as they kissed, bodies flush against one another and neither of them able to keep the grin off their faces even as they kissed. 

“Love you so much,” Daniel whispered, “my beautiful boy.”

“My beautiful man,” Max whispered back and nipped lightly on Daniel’s bottom lip. 

Taking Max’s hand in his, Daniel guided Max over to the table that he’d moved to be closer to the window. London was still bustling around underneath their third storey apartment, people running for buses and tubes, blue lights flashing in emergencies, families and tourists stumbling through the streets in search of whatever they needed. 

Max had all he needed in the form of his boyfriend. 

His _perfectly amazing_ and _so incredibly cheesy_ boyfriend. 

“After you, my prince,” Daniel declared, pulling out Max’s chair and putting his hand on the small of Max’s back to encourage him into his seat. When Max sat down (after rolling his eyes at Daniel’s dramatics, of course), Daniel pressed a kiss against Max’s cheek and whispered, “Così bello.”

Max flushed a deep scarlet at the murmured Italian, just like he always did whenever he heard Daniel speak his second language, and had never been so thankful for the candle lights being low enough that Daniel couldn’t see him blushing and tease him for getting off on it again. 

He didn’t think Daniel had recovered from the last time Max had reacted to him speaking Italian yet. 

“I’m going to plate up dinner, be right back,” Daniel said and with another kiss to Max’s cheek and a tickle to the back of his neck that had Max smack him with the back of his hand, he spun away and got on with plating up whatever he’d cooked. 

Daniel wasn’t a _great cook_ , hence why he’d phoned his Mum to help him through it (bless Grace, honestly, the best cook Max had ever met… _aside_ from Romain), but when he tried he did good and Max just appreciated the effort. 

Plus it smelt really good and he wasn’t going to fight good smelling food.

“Pour yourself more wine,” Daniel called out, when he saw Max looking at it. The table had been set so beautifully that Max was half convinced that someone had replaced his boyfriend with a robot. Not to say that Daniel was unromantic, he was incredibly romantic, but he just didn’t have the same creative eye that Charles did-

Wait

“Did Charles tell you how to set the table?” He asked, turning in his chair to look at Daniel who smiled sheepishly. 

“Maybe.”

“Great, now I’m going to be indebted to that fucker forever.”

“Nah, I already paid him. Got him a bottle of homemade Russian vodka from a mate of mine to get smashed on and he’s pretty content with it so don’t worry,” Daniel winked. 

It always came back to Russia, Max sighed…

“Bon Appetit,” Daniel said in his ear as he placed the plate down in front of Max. 

“Is this… is this the meal we had on our first dinner date?” Max asked as he looked at the plate in front of him. 

“It’s Mama’s family recipe for cannelloni and pesto, and then I found out what else we had and used Mama’s recipe for that too. I don’t know if it’s going to be any good but I tried,” Daniel shrugged anxiously, sitting himself down opposite Max. 

Underneath the table, Max tied their ankles together before putting his hand on top of Daniel’s.

“It’s amazing, thank you,” Max told him honestly. Even if it was the worst cannelloni and pesto he’d ever eaten, it was also going to be the best cannelloni and pesto he’d ever eaten because it was made by the boy that he loved who _tried_. 

To quote Max’s favourite baker from Bake Off _ever_ , ‘you make it the best you can and whenever you make everything, you stir love into it, so that when you present it, it’s special’. 

Max _really_ loved the Great British Bake Off, if you didn’t know. 

And he _really loved_ the effort that Daniel went to in order to make Max smile. 

Whatever Daniel made was always special and he tried and he made it the best he could and that’s why Max loved him. Sure there was probably mistakes along the way and knowing Daniel, there’s always an ingredient missed that he tries to throw in later and would pray it would work, but that’s what made it Daniel’s. It’s what made it funny and unique and special. 

Because that was Daniel in a nutshell. 

And actually, for once, Daniel had done an amazing job with dinner and the moans that Max was letting out at the flavours mixing together on his tongue had Daniel laughing because of how close they sounded to his sex moans. 

To be fair, the dinner was probably better than sex. 

Maybe…

Okay probably not but still. 

Throughout dinner, they chatted lightly, exchanging stupid stories like always about the dumb things they’d gotten up to in the three years they’d been together. 

“I still think about your face when I told you I’d order for you that first time you wore your collar in public, when we was at that Gatsby restaurant,” Daniel grinned, leaning back in his chair and swirling his glass of red wine slowly as he looked at Max, “I honestly thought you was going to cum on the spot. Your eyes glazed over and I’ve never seen you try so hard to focus on your breathing when you’re not having a panic attack.”

“Felt like I was going to,” Max laughed, kicking Daniel slightly, “you was a fucking asshole for that. My dick is still recovering from you making me wait like three hours to be able to cum.”

“Oh I think your dick has forgiven me now. I worship it daily, we’re pretty good friends me and your dick now,” Daniel hit back and Max, who had just been taking a sip of his wine, spluttered and coughed, trying to avoid spitting the wine out everywhere as he dampened down the need to cough. Their plates were empty by this point but they were both wearing white shirts and there was a white table cloth out and Max didn’t want to have to deal with red wine stains. 

“You’re an asshole, Ricciardo,” Max glared as he dabbed at his mouth with the napkin when he’d finished coughing. 

Daniel winked and stuck his tongue out before grinning, “It’s why you love me, _Räikkönen-Vettel_.”

“Asshole.”

“I’m just going to take the plates away before you can kick me again,” Daniel said, barely jumping out of his chair in time before Max kicked at his shin. “If I’m covered in bruises tomorrow-”

“Makes a nice change from it being me that’s always covered in bruises,” Max interrupted, leaning across and smacking Daniel’s ass when he stood up to grab the plates. Daniel yelped and pinched and twisted Max’s ear lightly when he got close enough to him, knowing Max couldn’t retaliate now that Daniel had the plates and cutlery in his hands. 

The playful atmosphere slowly seemed to die down again as the music softly kept playing, both of them full from the good food and the drinking, and more importantly, the amazing company. 

The song slowly switched, as it does with a playlist, and Max was busy sipping on his wine when he felt arms come to wrap around his neck and Daniel’s lips pressed lightly against his cheekbone. Max turned his head slightly and looked up at his boyfriend, smiling when Daniel leaned in close and nuzzled their noses together.

“Dance with me,” he breathed, fingers running down Max’s arms and tying their hands together to pull Max up off his chair. 

“It’s such a cheesy song,” Max groaned but went with it. 

He could never fight Daniel on anything, especially not something like slow dancing around the house with the boy he loved. 

“ _’Cause we were just kids when we fell in love_ ,” Daniel crooned as Max pressed his forehead into Daniel’s, eyes falling close and smiling as he felt Daniel’s lips shift the air between them. His left hand was held in Daniel’s right, his other hand wrapped around the back of Daniel’s neck with Daniel’s left hand pressing into Max’s back and holding him tight.

Max wasn’t really a fan of Ed Sheeran but somehow Daniel was always very good at making Max cry with Ed Sheeran songs, quietly humming along to it as Daniel sung along lowly. Their socks were sliding on the wooden flooring and they stepped on each other’s toes a couple of times, but the imperfection of it all just made it all the better. Daniel dropped Max’s hand at one point to wrap his arms around Max properly so that he could lift him and spin him in a slow circle.

Max gasped and tightened his grip on Daniel, smiling down at him before wrapping his hands around Daniel’s neck and pressing their lips together. He was still kind of floating in Daniel’s arms, Daniel’s arms fully supporting his weight as their lips moved slowly against each other.

“I love you,” Max whispered, dropping down onto the floor again and kissing Daniel properly. In typical Daniel fashion, he was still singing softly as he kissed Max and he had a beautiful grin on his face, thumbs running across the small of Max’s back. They both had their eyes closed and their foreheads pressing together, Max’s hands on Daniel’s face like the anchor that he was. 

Daniel kept Max on the ground always, reminding him that no matter how anxious, depressed or just plain _tired_ he was, he’d always have Daniel. 

“ _We are still kids, but we're so in love,_ ” Daniel sang softly, and Max shook his head in fond exasperation as Daniel dotted kisses across his jawline before pulling up to look at Max in the eye as he sang “ _I see my future in your eyes_.”

Daniel wasn’t a good singer.

He was _okay_ , but he wasn’t good, and yet Max loved how perfectly imperfect everything with Daniel was. 

“ _You look perfect tonight_ ,” Daniel sang the last of the song and joined the lips together properly now, smiling into the kiss as Max allowed his eyes to fall closed and lean into Daniel. 

Slowly their lips moved against one another, soft gasps falling from their lungs when Daniel nipped lightly on Max’s bottom lip and took Max’s gasp of surprise as an opportunity to kiss him deeper, lips and tongues moving against each other like it was something they’d done forever.

Three years really did feel like forever now. 

“I’ve have got one present for you but it’s nothing big I promise,” Daniel murmured when they broke apart to breath, a lingering kiss to Max’s lips before he set Max down fully and didn’t touch him again. He seemed a little shaky as he walked off, but Daniel had seemed shaky all evening and Max was just putting it down to the nerves of everything and wanting the evening to be perfect for Max.

It absolutely was.

Everything Daniel did was perfect always.

Leaning against the dining table, Max didn’t trust his own shaky body to hold him up. He wanted Daniel back in front of him, wanted to go back to holding his hand and looking into his eyes and kissing him like his life depended on it.

Instead it was just him and his wine.

To be fair, Max was pretty happy being left alone with the wine too. 

Coming back, Daniel was carrying a bouquet of red roses in his own rose tattooed hand and smiling softly as he presented them to Max.

“Oh Daniel,” Max gasped, hand flying to cover his mouth as he tied his fingers around Daniel’s on the stems and looked at them, “Daniel they’re beautiful, thank you so much.”

“You like them?”

“I love them, thank you baby,” Max whispered, uncovering his mouth so that he could cup Daniel’s jaw and go on a slight tiptoe so he could reach over the roses and kiss Daniel lightly.

When they broke apart, Daniel let Max take the roses into his arm, cradling them like one would a newborn baby. 

Daniel’s hand came to take Max’s in his, thumb running over Max’s knuckles as he took a deep breath, looking Max deep in the eyes.

There was something off about Daniel, Max knew that much. He was tense and Max could feel his hand shaking, the nervous energy coursing through him as he swallowed thickly. Max was sure if he pressed his hand to Daniel’s heart, he’d end up with burns from how fast it was beating. 

His eyes were slightly unfocused as they stared into Max’s own, almost as though he was trying to work out an answer to a puzzle that he’d never seen before in his life. 

“Are you okay?” Max asked softly and Daniel nodded, shaky smile coming onto his face.

“Vuoi sposarmi?” Daniel replied and Max frowned.

Daniel had said that meant that he was asking what was for breakfast when Max had quizzed him on it before, but Max didn’t think that he’d been told the truth. 

“What?”

“Vuoi sposarmi, Max?” Daniel repeated shakily.

“I’m starting to think that doesn’t mean what’s for breakfast,” Max hit back, his own hands starting to shake as he realised that Daniel might have been asking something _very_ different. 

“It doesn’t,” Daniel smiled, and nodded down at the roses, “Turn your roses around. It means that.”

For a moment Max daren’t move, wanting to commit everything about this moment to his mind. Daniel was smiling anxiously back at him and it was only because Daniel looked about three seconds away from either exploding with fear or exploding into tears that Max followed the instruction. 

He broke away from looking at Daniel to look instead at the printed card that had been stapled onto the wrapped around the roses. 

“Wait, are you serious?” Max asked, tears forming in his eyes as he read the words.

“I’m serious, Max,” Daniel replied and Max looked away from the roses to look at where Daniel had been stood.

Only now, he was on the floor in front of Max, left leg bent underneath him as he showed Max a box.

“It’s the hardest secret I’ve had to keep from you in a long time, but I’m very serious. My life and future, they’re with you. You’re what I want forever and always. I know we’re young but I already know I want everything with you. _You’re_ everything. Will you marry me, Max?” Daniel asked thickly, tears in his own eyes as his voice shook with emotion. 

Tears streamed down Max’s face as he looked at Daniel, blinking quickly to try and push the tears back so that he could look at his _fiancé_ as his shoulders shook in silent laughter. Or from crying. Max really wasn’t sure.

Putting the roses down on the table behind him, Max nodded frantically and fell into Daniel’s arms. He wrapped his own arms around Daniel’s neck and buried his face as the tears started to fall whilst Daniel wrapped his arms around Max’s waist, pressing their bodies flush together as they both cried silently. 

“So that’s a yes?” Daniel asked jokingly, pulling back to brush his thumbs over Max’s cheeks. 

It was only when the ring box pressed into his cheekbone that Max realised he still needed to verbally say it _and_ get the ring on his finger.

“Yes. Ja. да. Igen. Si. _Yes in every way_ ,” Max sobbed and kissed Daniel again. 

They both fall backwards, Max’s hand under Daniel’s head to stop him smashing it into their wooden flooring as Max straddled Daniel’s waist and kissed him as hard as feasibly possible.

This was his _fiancé_.

Not his _boyfriend_ anymore.

Max wasn’t a boy with a boyfriend.

He was a boy with a _fiancé_.

He was going to get _married_ one day.

Sitting back up, Max stayed in Daniel’s lap as his _fiancé_ (no Max didn’t plan on stopping saying that anytime soon) sat up similarly. He kept one arm around Max’s waist as he presented the ring box to him again and Max gasped when he looked at it properly.

“How much did that cost you?!” Max asked incredulously. Little diamonds were buried in numerous intricate infinity signs wrapped around the band, the gold band shining delicately under the soft lighting of their home.

“I didn’t spend much. The diamonds are from a diamond necklace my Dad’s Grandma passed down to him. Dad gave it me when I told them I was thinking about proposing to you because when he proposed to my Mum, he used a gem from his Great Grandma too, and so it’s like a family tradition now. I just had to get the diamonds set and the ring the right size for you. I never knew me constantly playing with your fingers would come in so handy because you didn’t even notice me measuring your finger like four months ago because you don’t pay attention to me when I’m playing with your hand,” Daniel explained softly. “I sent all the measurements to Nonna and she had my Uncle custom make it in Italy. Nonna yelled at me when I sent my uncle payment for it but he put a lot of work into it and I’m really proud of him and just because he’s family doesn’t mean I can freeload, you know? It’s still his business after all.”

Daniel picked the ring up and finally slid it onto Max’s finger, smiling when it sat flush against the knuckle.

A perfect fit.

Lifting his hand, Daniel pressed a kiss to Max’s knuckle just above where the ring now sat on Max’s hand.

“Do you like it? Honestly?” Daniel asked as Max stared at it.

Tears were still falling as Max nodded, the lump in his throat stopping him from being able to say anything.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Max said, voice cracking, “I can’t believe this is real. We’re engaged. You proposed to me. We’re going to get married. I just, that little fifteen year old me, he never thought this would happen. And it did. And I get everything with you. It doesn’t seem real.”

“It’s real, babe, it’s so real,” Daniel smiled, bringing their lips together again and cradling Max to him like he was afraid to let go of the boy that was now his fiancé. 

_Fiancé…_

This called for celebratory sex. 

~

“When are you going to tell your parents?” Daniel asked, kissing Max’s hair as they lay in bed that night after they’d had a shower from their celebratory sex on the living room carpet. 

Max had his hand above his head, turning it so that he could see the ring reflecting in the late night lighting and shrugged, properly taking it all in that he was _engaged now_.

“I’ll tell them tomorrow. Or at the weekend,” Max shrugged, “like don’t get me wrong I’m so fucking happy we’re engaged, but I don’t think it’s sunk in yet and I at least want to make sense of it in my own head before I tell them, you know?”

“Oh yeah absolutely. I’m in no rush to tell anyone, I was just asking.” 

And Max knew his _fiancé_ wasn’t lying. 

God it was so fucking cool getting to say that. 

Tears brimmed in Max’s eyes for a record time that evening as he burrowed into Daniel, shaky breaths falling from him as he put his ringed finger down on Daniel’s beating heart.

The beating heart that had finally slowed down and wasn’t threatening to combust anytime soon now that Max had said yes to marrying him.

“You alright?” Daniel whispered, brushing Max’s hair off his forehead.

“Yeah. Just can’t believe this is real. I never thought I’d get this. Not you, not the happy ending, not the engagement ring, none of it. Sometimes I think about being fifteen and sitting in my bedroom all alone, writing that note and just being so tired of existing and the world and thinking that I could never be happy, and now I’m engaged to the most amazing boy in the world, I’ve got an apartment with the most amazing boy in the world, I’m starting a future with the most amazing boy in the world, and if I could go back in time and tell my fifteen year old self that one day we’d be happy, I would. You changed everything, you made me want to try harder and fight more and just _live_ , and I love you so fucking much for it, my amazing _fiancé_ ,” Max rambled tearfully and leaned up to capture Daniel’s lips in a slow kiss. Daniel tugged at his hips until Max rolled on top of him, their naked bodies grinding against each other as they made out lazily, both with tears on their cheeks and love being pushed into every breath. 

Their making out quickly devolved into yet another round of sex, with all thoughts about Max’s family being pushed from his mind and he forgot about the slight issue of telling them all. 

Ah well

That’s what group chats are for. 

He was definitely going to get killed by his family for making them wait to find out that he was engaged. 

That was the perks of having his own place now, he could barricade himself in and stop them from breaking in to yell at him. 

Unless Charles decided to try and climb the balconies...

 _Shit_

**Two weeks later: _22nd October 2022 _ ****__**

**__****_ _ **

Don’t Sin On The Family Group Chat   
  
**Today** 14:39   
Seb  
WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE PUT A RING ON YOUR FINGER   
Charles  
WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN   
HOW DID THIS HAPPEN   
WHY AM I ONLY JUST FINDING OUT NOW   
MAX IM YOUR TWIN BROTHER I GET PARENTAL RIGHTS TO YOU TO KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT YOUR LIFE   
Kimi  
ARE YOU BEING SERIOUS   
Charlotte  
SOMEONE PLEASE ANSWER BECAUSE IM FACETIMING DILARA AND CATE RN TO ORGANISE THE BRIDESMAID DRESSES   
Pierre  
YOU ARE ENGAGED!!!!!!!!!!! IM SCREAMING!!!!!!!  
CAN I BE YOUR PHOTOGRAPHER   
Charles  
IM PICKING YOUR SUITS  
Are you done yelling yet?  
Seb  
Are you seriously engaged Max?  
To answer the questions in the order given:  
1\. Daniel proposed to me and I said yes  
2\. On our anniversary (yes we’ve been engaged two and a half weeks)   
3\. He cooked us dinner (first meal we ever had together on our first dinner date) and then we slow danced around the kitchen and he fetched some roses and got down on one knee after asking me in Italian first   
4\. You’re only just finding out now because I genuinely forgot to tell you   
5\. You’re not my parent Charles   
6\. We are being serious   
7\. **@Charlotte** you’re not buying bridesmaid dresses yet we don’t know when we’re going to get married   
8\. Yes you can be our photographer **@Pierre**  
9\. No you’re not picking our suits **@Charles** we haven’t discussed anything about the wedding yet but I think I want you to make my suit if that’s okay instead?   
10\. **@Seb @Kimi** I promise we’re being serious   
Daniel  
Are you mad at us?  
Kimi  
We’re not mad, but Seb is crying right now and we’re about to drive to come and see you because Seb needs to hug Max and cry about how Max is growing up. We’ve got to pick Maisie up on the way so we’ll see you in about an hour Dan and Max.   
Daniel  
No problem, see you later!  


“We’ve got an hour to prepare to be killed,” Max said, looking up at Daniel from where he had his head in his fiancé’s lap as Daniel had been working on lesson plans on his laptop beside Max’s head.

“Well this is going to be fun,” Daniel laughed, leaning in and kissing Max’s lips lightly and tying their fingers together, running his finger across the golden band that he was obsessed with. 

It really wouldn’t be a chaotic family chat and reunion without someone nearly getting killed. 

Just a shame it had to be Daniel after Max had only just gotten engaged to him…

**Author's Note:**

> bless max and dan bc they're so going to get killed
> 
> and maisie :) nice name :) wonder what that's about :)
> 
> Kudos, comments & feedback always greatly appreciated💙
> 
> Tumblr is at [3303andmore](https://3303andmore.tumblr.com) xxx
> 
> **Fic Requests are currently closed xx**


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